Each month, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) files lawsuits and settles cases covering the federal laws they are responsible for enforcing. These federal laws include:
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII)
- The Pregnancy Discrimination Act
- The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act of 2022 (PWFA)
- The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA)
- The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA)
- Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)
- Sections 102 and 103 of the Civil Rights Act of 1991
- Sections 501 and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
- The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA)
Below is a list of lawsuits and settlements by the EEOC in from October 1 to October 15, 2024.
- EEOC Lawsuits
- Arizona: EEOC’s Phoenix District Sues Three Employers for Sexual Harassment
- California: EEOC Sues Two Employers for Sex Discrimination
- Colorado: EEOC Sues Mile Hi Companies for Unlawfully Discriminating Against Job Applicants
- Kansas: EEOC Files Three Sexual Harassment Lawsuits
- Illinois: EEOC Sues Two Employers for Sex Discrimination
- Louisiana: EEOC Sues Bigfoot Energy Services and Iron Mountain Energy
- Maryland: EEOC Sues Three Employers for Race Discrimination
- Maryland: EEOC Sues GBMC Healthcare & Greater Baltimore Medical Center for Disability Discrimination
- Maryland: EEOC Sues Kurt Bluemel for Pregnancy Discrimination
- Nevada: EEOC Sues Victra for Discrimination Due to Pregnancy and Perceived Disability
- Oklahoma: EEOC Files Three Sexual Harassment Lawsuits
- Oklahoma: EEOC Files Three Sexual Harassment Lawsuits
- Ohio: EEOC Sues Three Employers for Race Discrimination
- Ohio: EEOC Sues Three Employers for Race Discrimination
- Ohio: EEOC Sues Glunt Industries and Merit Capital Partners for Classwide Sex Discrimination in Hiring
- Ohio: EEOC Sues Country Club Retirement and Holland Management Companies for Disability Discrimination
- Utah: EEOC’s Phoenix District Sues Three Employers for Sexual Harassment
- Washington: Builders FirstSource Sued by EEOC for Discrimination
- Washington: EEOC Sues Logic Staffing for Religious Discrimination and Retaliation
- Washington: EEOC Sues Total Employment and Management for Breaching Conciliation Agreement
- Wyoming: EEOC’s Phoenix District Sues Three Employers for Sexual Harassment
- EEOC Settlements
- Arizona: Arizona Walmart to Pay $100,000 in EEOC Disability Lawsuit
- Colorado: Nature’s Herbs & Wellness Center to Pay $95,000 In EEOC Disability And Retaliation Case
- Florida: Lago Mar Resort & Beach Club to Pay $100,000 in EEOC Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Suit
- Florida: Sailormen, Inc. / Popeye’s Conciliates EEOC Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Charge
- Georgia: Family Fresh Harvesting Conciliates EEOC Pregnancy Discrimination Charge
- Michigan: Family Fresh Harvesting Conciliates EEOC Pregnancy Discrimination Charge
- North Carolina: Walmart to Pay $175,000 to Settle Three EEOC Disability Discrimination Suits
- Washington: Restaurant Depot Agrees to Settle EEOC Class Sexual Harassment Case
EEOC Lawsuits
Arizona: EEOC’s Phoenix District Sues Three Employers for Sexual Harassment
Allegations
Sex discrimination; Sexual harassment
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
State
Arizona
Summary
The agency filed suit against the operator of senior living communities located across the State of Arizona after a client repeatedly harassed female employees over an extended period of time. The client made vulgar and sexually explicit comments to several female employees and propositioned female employees to engage in sexual activity with him. Female employees complained about the harassment by the client, but Christian Care failed to take prompt and adequate measures against the client to end the harassment or deter future sexual harassment by the client. Christian Care created a hostile work environment for female employees, which culminated in the client committing egregious sexual harassment and physical assault of a different female employee, including grabbing her breast and attempting to grope her vagina, the EEOC said.
California: EEOC Sues Two Employers for Sex Discrimination
Allegations
Sex discrimination; Sexual orientation discrimination; Gender identity discrimination; Sexual harassment; Retaliation
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
State
California
Summary
The agency filed suit against the retailer after the manager at Lush’s Valley Fair, California location subjected employees to offensive physical and verbal sexual conduct, including unwanted touching of their buttocks, requesting sex, commenting about their breasts and his penis, inquiring about sex acts relating to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, and using sexually offensive terms, such as “cnt” and “btch”. Lush failed to adequately investigate employee accounts of the manager’s behavior, the harassment continued, and at least two employees quit.
Colorado: EEOC Sues Mile Hi Companies for Unlawfully Discriminating Against Job Applicants
Allegations
Color discrimination; Race discrimination; National origin discrimination; Sex discrimination; Retaliation
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
State
Colorado
Summary
According to the lawsuit, Mile Hi unlawfully denied employment opportunities to Black, female, and Afghan job applicants. The discriminatory directives came from the highest executive and included a handwritten note from the CEO not to hire beyond a certain number of Black applicants because they are “lazy.” He also provided instructions not to hire women for warehouse jobs because they were not effective at manual labor and would distract other workers, as well as directions to stop hiring Afghan applicants for bakery jobs because there were too many “Afghanistans” employed in the bakery. When Marianne Apodaca, the human resources manager, opposed these discriminatory directives and told executives that these practices violated the law, Mile Hi engaged in unlawful retaliation by harassing and ultimately firing her.
Kansas: EEOC Files Three Sexual Harassment Lawsuits
Allegations
Sex discrimination; Sexual harassment; Retaliation
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
State
Kansas
Summary
The agency alleged the Burger King franchisee’s supervisors sexually harassed numerous female employees, including teenagers, at restaurants in Lawrence, Kansas and Derby, Kansas. The harassment included sexual comments, inappropriate touching, and—in one case—unwanted intercourse. Corporate-level management knew about the harassment but failed to take action. In one instance where a female employee complained, management removed her from the schedule, refused to allow her to return to work for months, and permitted her harasser to continue working without investigation.
Illinois: EEOC Sues Two Employers for Sex Discrimination
Allegations
Sex discrimination; Sexual orientation discrimination; Gender identity discrimination; Sexual harassment; Retaliation
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
State
Illinois
Summary
In its lawsuit, the agency charged that the Wendy’s Carbondale, Illinois location subjected a class of transgender employees to pervasive sexual harassment including repeatedly subjecting the transgender employees to misgendering, graphic sexual comments, unequal access to bathrooms, intrusive questions, and degrading conduct based on gender identity. Employees said supervisors inquired about their genitalia and forbade them from using restrooms consistent with their gender identity, co-workers referred to them as “it” and often misgendered them even after being corrected. The conduct altered the terms or conditions of employment and Wendy’s terminated one member of the class and retaliated against the others when it reduced their hours for opposing the harassment. The company also refused to update company records to reflect legal name changes.
Louisiana: EEOC Sues Bigfoot Energy Services and Iron Mountain Energy
Allegations
Race discrimination; Sex discrimination; Sexual harassment; Retaliation
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
State
Illinois
Summary
According to the suit, the companies’ male employees frequently engaged in sexually demeaning conduct, including sharing pornographic images and making sexually offensive comments. Additionally, employees, including management, frequently used the N-word and other racially derogatory terms when referring to Black individuals. The day after a male worker complained about the sexually harassing conduct, he was fired. Other employees were fired within days of complaining about the use of the N-word.
Maryland: EEOC Sues Three Employers for Race Discrimination
Allegations
Race discrimination; Retaliation
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
State
Maryland
Summary
The agency filed suit charging that the owner and operator of three retirement communities in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., illegally discriminated against a Black employee when it failed to promote her to an executive-level position because of her race and fired her in retaliation for complaining of race-based discrimination. According to the suit, Ingleside promoted its director of clinical operations for its home healthcare component, who was white, to executive director but refused to similarly promote its director of clinical operations for health care functions, who was Black. The Black director maintained regulatory compliance for all three of Ingleside’s communities and received exemplary performance evaluations. Shortly after the Black employee complained of racially discriminatory treatment, Ingleside terminated her.
Maryland: EEOC Sues GBMC Healthcare & Greater Baltimore Medical Center for Disability Discrimination
Allegations
Disability discrimination
Laws Involved
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
State
Maryland
Summary
According to the lawsuit, GBMC hired a registered nurse (RN) who is deaf to work at its main hospital. When GBMC learned that the RN is deaf after she requested accommodations, GBMC rescinded the offer of employment and terminated her without engaging in the interactive process required by law.
Maryland: EEOC Sues Kurt Bluemel for Pregnancy Discrimination
Allegations
Pregnancy discrimination
Laws Involved
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA); Pregnancy Discrimination Act; Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
State
Maryland
Summary
According to the lawsuit, the pregnant worker requested maternity leave with the expectation that she would resume employment after giving birth. When she attempted to return to work, she was told that no work was available. However, the employer hired new, non-pregnant employes before and after her attempted return.
Nevada: EEOC Sues Victra for Discrimination Due to Pregnancy and Perceived Disability
Allegations
Pregnancy discrimination
Laws Involved
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA); Pregnancy Discrimination Act; Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
State
Nevada
Summary
According to the suit, a woman hired as a sales consultant at Victra’s Dayton, Nevada, store discovered prior to her start date that she needed to schedule an ultrasound and to see a high-risk pregnancy doctor right away. Hours after notifying the district sales manager that she needed to go to a medical appointment on the afternoon of her first day of training because “there might be something wrong with my daughter’s heart,” Victra withdrew the job offer and told her she would need to reapply once she knew she could “100% attend.” In contrast, the EEOC found that the company permitted other new hires to adjust or reschedule their training start dates or attendance for various reasons unrelated to pregnancy.
Oklahoma: EEOC Files Three Sexual Harassment Lawsuits
Allegations
Sex discrimination; Sexual harassment; Retaliation
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
State
Oklahoma
Summary
The agency alleged the international manufacturer of paper products fired a woman from its Inola, Oklahoma paper mill for obtaining a protective order against a male coworker. The woman sought a protective order after reporting the coworker’s harassment which included lewd comments, sexual innuendo, and forcibly trying to kiss her. The company did nothing to safeguard her from continued harassment; instead, it fired her when she notified human resources of the protective order.
Oklahoma: EEOC Files Three Sexual Harassment Lawsuits
Allegations
Sex discrimination; Sexual harassment; Retaliation
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
State
Oklahoma
Summary
The suit alleged one of the owners of the home improvement and design company harassed female employees on a near daily basis. The owner openly made sexually charged comments and touched female employees without their consent. The unwelcome conduct was reported to another owner but the company took no action to address the complaints, and instead withheld one female employee’s bonuses, leading to her constructive discharge.
Ohio: EEOC Sues Three Employers for Race Discrimination
Allegations
Race discrimination; Retaliation
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
State
Ohio
Summary
The agency filed suit charging that the company discriminated against a Black woman who worked as a call center agent. Although the woman received favorable reviews, she was falsely accused of using profanity towards a caller and then fired after she opposed and reported race discrimination and retaliation.
Ohio: EEOC Sues Three Employers for Race Discrimination
Allegations
Race discrimination; Retaliation
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
State
Ohio
Summary
The agency filed suit charging that the salt producer and distributor discriminated against a Black employee because of his race and disability and retaliated against him. The employee was reprimanded because he opposed and reported a white worker who the employer knew had a history of using the terms “n****r” and “worthless n****r” among other insults. The Black employee was falsely accused of violations and fired while white workers were treated more favorably. Despite the employee’s report to corporate human resource managers that he had been subjected to discrimination, Morton Salt failed to investigate and retaliated against the employee. The EEOC suit alleged that Morton Salt also fired the employee on the basis of disability.
Ohio: EEOC Sues Glunt Industries and Merit Capital Partners for Classwide Sex Discrimination in Hiring
Allegations
Sex discrimination; Retaliation
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
State
Ohio
Summary
The EEOC charged that Glunt and Merit Capital Partners, which purchased Glunt in 2012, engaged in longstanding classwide sex discrimination when they failed to hire women for production jobs. The companies also discriminated against their HR director and retaliated against her both for her role in hiring women and because she opposed sex discrimination, leading to her separation. The EEOC alleged that after some women were hired for production jobs during the HR director’s tenure, the companies subjected them to discriminatory treatment by firing some of the female production workers. The agency also charged the companies with failing to make and preserve records as required by federal law, including applications and applicant materials.
Ohio: EEOC Sues Country Club Retirement and Holland Management Companies for Disability Discrimination
Allegations
Disability discrimination; Genetic information discrimination; Retaliation
Laws Involved
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA)
State
Ohio
Summary
According to the suit, the companies discriminated and retaliated against a female veteran who worked at the Country Club Retirement facility in Delaware, Ohio, because of her disability – a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In addition to firing the woman, the companies also required her to sign an agreement shortening the statute of limitations applicable to the ADA as a condition of retaining her employment. The EEOC also alleged that the companies required the employee to disclose information about family genetic history in violation of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA).
Further, the suit claimed the companies harmed a class of employees by maintaining 100%-healed and restrictive attendance policies, using termination and disciplinary processes which deny or interfere with rights secured by the ADA, and engaged in conduct adversely affecting a class of employees, also in violation of the ADA and the GINA.
Utah: EEOC’s Phoenix District Sues Three Employers for Sexual Harassment
Allegations
Sex discrimination; Sexual harassment; Retaliation
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
State
Utah
Summary
The EEOC alleged that HHS Environmental, which provides janitorial and other services to hospitals, violated federal law when a male employee sexually harassed at least three female employees. According to the EEOC, the male employee made inappropriate sexual comments, and repeatedly attempted to inappropriately kiss, touch, and grab the female employees without their permission. Despite the employees’ repeated and persistent reports of harassment, the company took no action for over a year to curb the harassment, and retaliated against the female employees by firing two of them after they reported the harassment. HHS also retaliated against another female victim by doubling her workload until she eventually resigned due to the untenable working conditions.
Washington: Builders FirstSource Sued by EEOC for Discrimination
Allegations
Age discrimination; Disability discrimination; Retaliation
Laws Involved
Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA); Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
State
Washington
Summary
A building supply company doing business as Builders FirstSource north of the Seattle area violated federal law when it terminated a qualified worker’s assignment because of his age and the assumption that he had a physical impairment, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed Monday.
Assigned by a third-party staffing company, the 67-year-old worker reported for his first day of work as an assembler at Builders FirstSource’s truss facility located in Arlington, Washington, in June 2023. According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, the general manager made assumptions based on her very brief observation of the worker’s age and appearance. She speculated he had a physical impairment and would not be physically capable of performing the job, so she immediately terminated his assignment. In reality, the worker was qualified for the position and had a history of working long hours at physically demanding jobs.
Washington: EEOC Sues Logic Staffing for Religious Discrimination and Retaliation
Allegations
Religion discrimination
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
State
Washington
Summary
According to the EEOC’s suit, Logic Staffing invited the applicant to interview at its Kent, Washington, headquarters the day after receiving his online application. On the strength of his application and interview, the staffing supervisor started to explore available openings when the applicant, who is Muslim, disclosed a possible need for a longer mid-day break to attend Friday prayer. The applicant explained that he might not need additional time if his workplace was close to a mosque, but Logic Staffing’s supervisor ended the interview and noted that the applicant was not hired due to his schedule and need to attend Friday prayer. The EEOC also alleged that Logic Staffing disqualified the applicant from future employment after he asked to confirm that the reason he was not hired was due to his request for a religious accommodation.
Washington: EEOC Sues Total Employment and Management for Breaching Conciliation Agreement
Allegations
National origin discrimination
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
State
Washington
Summary
According to the lawsuit, TEAM participated in EEOC conciliation, a process to resolve charges informally before litigation, and agreed to resolve a discrimination charge filed against the company under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC and TEAM agreed to a conciliation agreement requiring the company to pay $276,000 to the aggrieved individuals over three years, at a 5.42% monthly interest rate. The company also agreed to train its employees; revise its non-discrimination policy; post a notice of the agreement; and report to the EEOC on compliance with the agreement. Since that time, however, TEAM has refused to honor its obligations under the agreement, paying only a portion of the amount promised to the workers, and failing to report to the EEOC.
Wyoming: EEOC’s Phoenix District Sues Three Employers for Sexual Harassment
Allegations
Sex discrimination; Sexual harassment; Retaliation
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
State
Utah
Summary
The suit alleged that Waller’s Trucking Company violated federal law when its owner sexually harassed female employees over the course of several years. The owner made crude and sexually explicit comments to at least two female employees, frequently in front of their coworkers and/or over radio, and also inappropriately grabbed female employees without their permission. Wallers Trucking, a family-owned business, failed to take action despite multiple complaints and reports of sexual harassment, and instead continued to foster a hostile work environment for its female employees and fired at least two female employees.
EEOC Settlements
Arizona: Arizona Walmart to Pay $100,000 in EEOC Disability Lawsuit
Allegations
Disability discrimination
Laws Involved
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
State
Arizona
Summary
According to the lawsuit, Walmart fired cashier Stevey Wiman from its Bullhead City, Arizona, location because she had seizures causing her to miss work. Walmart’s attendance policy allows for absences to be excused for disability accommodations, but after about two months, human resources personnel told her absences for her seizures would no longer be excused. Wiman submitted a written request for the accommodation as provided in Walmart’s attendance policy, but was fired while the request was still pending, the EEOC said.
Colorado: Nature’s Herbs & Wellness Center to Pay $95,000 In EEOC Disability And Retaliation Case
Allegations
Disability discrimination
Laws Involved
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
State
Colorado
Summary
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Nature’s Herbs failed to reasonably accommodate a budtender’s disabilities after she disclosed her disabilities to her manager and requested accommodation. When the employee complained about disability discrimination, Nature’s Herbs suspended her without pay and later fired her. In internal communications regarding the employee’s termination, the owner of Nature’s Herbs instructed human resources to “cut [the employee] loose” because she did not disclose her disabilities when she was hired, and the human resources manager referred to the employee as a “fruitcake.”
Florida: Lago Mar Resort & Beach Club to Pay $100,000 in EEOC Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Suit
Allegations
Disability discrimination; Pregnancy discrimination
Laws Involved
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); Pregnant Worker’s Fairness Act (PWFA)
State
Florida
Summary
According to the EEOC lawsuit, Lago Mar terminated an employee shortly after requesting leave to recover and grieve following a stillbirth during the fifth month of her pregnancy.
Florida: Sailormen, Inc. / Popeye’s Conciliates EEOC Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Charge
Allegations
Pregnancy discrimination
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act; Pregnant Worker’s Fairness Act (PWFA)
State
Florida
Summary
According to the EEOC’s charge, upon learning that an employee was pregnant, Sailormen, Inc. fired her because it believed that she would need accommodations to perform her job duties.
Georgia: Family Fresh Harvesting Conciliates EEOC Pregnancy Discrimination Charge
Allegations
Pregnancy discrimination; Sex Discrimination
Laws Involved
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA); Pregnancy Discrimination Act; Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
State
Georgia
Summary
In the charge, a pregnant female H-2A employee alleged that Family Fresh fired her and sent her on a bus back to Mexico after she requested unpaid time off to attend medical appointments for her pregnancy.
Michigan: Family Fresh Harvesting Conciliates EEOC Pregnancy Discrimination Charge
Allegations
Pregnancy discrimination; Sex Discrimination
Laws Involved
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA); Pregnancy Discrimination Act; Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
State
Michigan
Summary
In the charge, a pregnant female H-2A employee alleged that Family Fresh fired her and sent her on a bus back to Mexico after she requested unpaid time off to attend medical appointments for her pregnancy.
North Carolina: Walmart to Pay $175,000 to Settle Three EEOC Disability Discrimination Suits
Allegations
Disability discrimination
Laws Involved
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
State
North Carolina
Summary
1. According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, on several occasions from November 2016 through April 2017, Walmart refused to provide reasonable accommodations to a deli associate suffering from symptoms related to a gastrointestinal impairment. The associate requested intermittent or excused leave for disability-related absences. Although Walmart excused some disability-related absences, it did not excuse others, including several for disability-related medical appointments and hospitalization. The associate, who had worked for Walmart since February 2014, was fired in April 2017 for violating the company attendance policy even though she had provided doctor’s notes.
2. According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Walmart refused to accommodate a shelf stocker’s disability by failing to excuse absences related to her epileptic seizures. Although the supervisor said she would excuse seizure-related absences if she was notified that the absence was related to the employee’s seizure disorder, Walmart did not excuse the absences, and, as a result, the employee was fired for violating the company attendance policy.
3. The EEOC’s lawsuit alleged that Walmart refused to provide a reasonable accommodation to a general merchandise support manager with generalized convulsive epilepsy. The manager began experiencing seizures requiring medical treatment, which caused him to be late for his shift and occasionally to miss work. In July 2017, the manager requested intermittent leave as a reasonable accommodation. Walmart denied the manager’s request and demoted him to a deli associate position because of his disability-related absences. Walmart then fired him for violating the company’s attendance policy.
Washington: Restaurant Depot Agrees to Settle EEOC Class Sexual Harassment Case
Allegations
Sex Discrimination; Sexual harassment
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
State
Washington
Summary
According to the EEOC, a former employee alleged that during the year prior to her discharge, she was subjected to sexual comments and unwanted touching, sexual advances and was forced to perform sexual acts by store managers. The EEOC’s investigation confirmed that the former employee had been sexually harassed by a store manager and revealed that other female employees had been subjected to sexual harassment during the same time period by the same store manager. Furthermore, the investigation found evidence that Restaurant Depot had received complaints going back to 2019 about the same store manager, and yet failed to take appropriate action to stop the unlawful conduct.
